The opening ceremonies for the Summer Games are exactly two weeks away.
Sports enthusiasts from around the globe will have their eyes glued to the television. National pride takes over as athletes pursue their dream for a gold medal.
When everything is all said and done, swimming sensation Michael Phelps and the next Dream Team will have dominated the headlines.
One local athlete who was on the brink of qualifying for the U.S. National Team remains on the fence when the subject matter concerns the Olympics and how much he will ingest.
Former Parkersburg standout Tim Phillips had his heart set on swimming the 100-meter butterfly in London, but his hopes were dashed when he finished sixth in the finals at the team trials several weeks ago in Omaha, Neb.
"I'm not sure I will watch all of the swimming - I'm sure I will watch a little bit," said the 21-year-old from Vienna. "I will see how it goes after I watch the first race."
Phillips returned to the Mid-Ohio Valley for a few days this week. He is taking a break from the sport while getting his affairs in order as his junior year begins at Ohio State University later this fall.
Since taking the year off as a member of the Buckeyes' program, Phillips built an impressive resume while training with the SwimMac Carolina outfit based in Charlotte, N.C.
In August, Phillips claimed his first national title with a win at the ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships and shortly thereafter followed that performance with gold-medal efforts in the 50 and 100 butterfly at the World University Games in Shenzen, China.
When the psych sheets were released for the Olympic Team Trials, Phillips boasted the third fastest seed time - ranked behind only Phelps and Tyler McGill. As the meet progressed from the preliminary heats into the final heats, Phillips had turned in three of the four fastest times for the first 50 meters.
At the halfway mark of the finals, Phillips led the field but fell back into the pack the last 20 meters.
"I had to go out there and go for it," Phillips said. "I felt at the time like I started all right, but when I got to about 80 meters I knew I went out way too fast.
"I still need to keep working on that second 50. I think with more training and more experience it will get faster."
His father, Tom Phillips, attended the team trials and noted that his son will probably broaden his scope when the next opportunity to qualify for the Summer Games is scheduled for Rio de Janeiro in 2016. "I want to do more than just the 100 butterfly," Tim Phillips said. "Maybe I'll do a couple more events like the 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle, and possibly the individual medley."
For the time being, it's back to being a Buckeye and collecting collegiate hardware.
